Dump-and-Go Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Macaroni
This is exactly what it sounds like. Raw chicken, uncooked macaroni, broccoli, cream cheese, cheddar, broth, and milk all go into one casserole dish, get stirred together, get covered with foil, and go in the oven. No pre-cooking, no separate pots, no standing over anything. Just dump, cover, and bake. Fifty minutes later you have a creamy, cheesy, completely cooked through chicken broccoli mac and cheese that tastes like you actually made something.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Recipe Name: Dump-and-Go Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Macaroni
- Main Ingredients: 1Ā½ lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, elbow macaroni, broccoli florets, shredded sharp cheddar cheese, chicken broth, whole milk, cream cheese, Creole Trinity and Herb Seasoning
- Why You'll Love It: This dump-and-go cheesy chicken broccoli macaroni adds raw chicken, uncooked pasta, and broccoli to one dish with cream cheese and cheddar and bakes everything together for an easy weeknight casserole ready in under an hour.
The cream cheese is what makes the sauce. It melts into the broth and milk during the bake and creates this thick, creamy, slightly tangy base that coats every piece of pasta and chicken. Stir in the sharp cheddar at the end and the whole thing comes together into something genuinely satisfying with barely any effort involved.
Ingredients Needed To Make Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Macaroni
The Protein and Pasta
Boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into small bite-sized pieces cook through in the same time as the pasta so everything finishes together. Elbow macaroni goes in completely dry and absorbs the seasoned cooking liquid as it bakes. Small broccoli florets add color, nutrition, and a slightly sweet vegetable element throughout.
The Sauce
Chicken broth and whole milk provide the cooking liquid that both hydrates the pasta and becomes the base of the sauce. Cream cheese cubed and distributed throughout melts into the liquid during baking and produces the thick, creamy sauce without any separate sauce-making required. CTH seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt, and pepper season everything throughout.
The Cheese
Sharp cheddar stirred in after baking and then scattered on top produces both a creamy, melted cheese sauce running through the whole dish and a bubbly golden cheese layer on top.
How to Make Dump-and-Go Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Macaroni
1
Preheat the oven to 375Ā°F and grease a 9×13 dish. Add the raw chicken pieces, dry macaroni, and broccoli florets directly to the dish. Sprinkle with CTH, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt, and pepper.
2
Pour in the chicken broth and milk. Drop the cream cheese cubes throughout the dish. Stir everything really well until combined and the macaroni is mostly submerged in the liquid.
3
Cover the dish tightly with foil. Bake for 35 minutes. T
4
Remove from the oven and give everything a thorough stir. Check the pasta. If it’s still pretty firm cover and bake for another 10 minutes. The chicken should reach 165Ā°F and the pasta should be tender before the cheese goes in.
5
Stir in 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheddar until melted throughout the dish. Scatter the remaining 1/2 cup over the top. Bake uncovered for 5 to 10 minutes until the top is melted and bubbly.
6
Let rest for 5 minutes before scooping. The sauce tightens up significantly during the rest and the whole dish becomes much easier to serve cleanly.
Dump-and-Go Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Macaroni
Ingredients
- 1Ā½ lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into small bite-size pieces
- 12 oz elbow macaroni uncooked
- 2-3 cups broccoli florets cut small
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese divided
- 1.5 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup whole milk
- 4 oz cream cheese cubed
- 1 tbsp Creole Trinity and Herb Seasoning
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- Ā½ tsp paprika
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375Ā°F and lightly grease a 9×13 casserole dish.
- Add the uncooked macaroni, diced raw chicken and broccoli straight into the dish.
- Sprinkle with garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt and pepper.
- Pour in the chicken broth and milk. Add cubes of cream cheese. Stir everything really well, making sure the macaroni is mostly submerged in the liquid.
- Cover tightly with foil ā this part is important because you need that steam to cook the pasta.
- Bake covered for 35 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and give everything a really good stir. Check the pasta. If itās still pretty firm, cover and bake another 10 minutes.
- Once the pasta is tender and the chicken has reached 165Ā°F, stir in 1Ā½ cups cheddar cheese.
- Top with the remaining Ā½ cup cheddar and bake uncovered for 5ā10 minutes, just until melted and bubbly.
- Let it sit for about 5 minutes before serving. Itāll thicken as it rests.
